Cardiff 2 - Crystal Palace 1: It's happy blue year

We were disappointed with the Peterborough game but we didn’t dwell on it

Andrew Taylor

The Bluebirds moved five points clear thanks to goals from Craig Noone and Aron Gunnarsson.

They trailed to an early goal from Mile Jedinak but struck back to make it 11 wins in 12 home games this season.

Defender Andrew Taylor said: “We were disappointed with the Peterborough game but we didn’t dwell on it.

“We have bounced back with wins against two of our promotion challengers.

“I think the goal before half-time was important and in the second half I felt we were the better team.”

Palace manager Ian Holloway said: “We started well and ended terribly. We should have taken our chances but then we stopped creating them.

“You know Cardiff are going to come back and in the end I am bitterly disappointed.”

The visitors took the lead inside four minutes when Jedinak volleyed Owen Garvan’s corner past David Marshall.

After 10 home wins on the bounce, Cardiff were quickly staring down the barrel of a second successive home defeat.

Palace continued to pose questions with Jedinak to the fore at the heart of their five-man midfield. Palace have taken three points from their last four games but they looked anything but a side in danger of slipping out of the automatic promotion race.

Garvan’s free-kick forced Ben Turner into a desperate clearance and captain Mark Hudson was booked after hauling down Wilfried Zaha.

Cardiff were devoid of ideas.

They did their best to work Craig Bellamy into space but their execution was far from precise.

At the other end Glenn Murray fl uffed his lines when gifted a one-on-one with Marshall and Zaha struck the bar from 20 yards. From the rebound Murray was denied by the brilliance of Marshall.

Garvan’s 24th-minute free-kick once again brought out the best in Marshall whilst at the opposite end Bellamy’s goalbound effort was saved by Julian Speroni.

The Welshman might have wasted his own chance to score but a minute before half-time he made up for it.He beat Jonathan Parr to the byline and delivered the perfect cross for Noone to score from eight yards.

Yannick Bolasie was close to putting Palace back in front on the hour while Bellamy’s shot a minute later was kept out by Speroni.

But Cardiff boss Malky Mackay was jumping for joy 17 minutes from time when sub Gunnarsson rose to head home Bellamy’s near-post corner.